There are many ways for parents to be involved with kids in Preschool and Elementary grades, but what about when kids are in middle school and high school at the very time in their lives when their developmental age is naturally pushing their parents away?

In the middle and high school years, students may be seeking more autonomy from their parents, which makes the home school connection even more challenging for parents. That is why schools need to consider a structured way for parents to come to campus with their middle or high school student and be involved in encouraging their teen’s next steps. It’s just as crucial to be involved at this stage as being involved in their younger years with reading and homework.

And, if the teen years aren’t already challenging enough to stay close and connected, many Hispanic parents face a language barrier with teens who have been schooled in English, but the parents may not have the same English language skill set. Often parents are left feeling like they cannot help or even sometimes communicate with their teenaged children.

For these important reasons, Lectura Books publishes books and curriculum in Spanish and English so that the needs of the family are met. One of the main tools for this is the College Awareness Program, which uses a dynamic 10-chapter book to help parents and students learn about how to get to college.

The book is told through one family’s journey and how they worked out their challenges, discussed their old belief system, and financial concerns about college. The book is culturally relevant to a Latino family’s experiences as well as equally relevant to all families who wonder about how to support and encourage their teen with their dreams, which may be radically different than their own parents’ journeys, particularly if the parents did not go to college.

This is an age-appropriate novela style book that is enjoyed at the heart level and is far from the average cut-and-dried informational book.

Parents discover that they are their teens’ biggest supporters and they also learn how to maximize their help, because it really matters!

The program includes an engaging chapter book (in both English and Spanish) with illustrations and an interactive parent- student journal that introduces key educational terms. A step-by-step Teacher’s Guide with English As A Second Language curriculum is also included. Teachers can register online for a program training workshop or an online webinar.

The Latino Family Literacy Project can train school staff to provide a parent and student family engagement program using a 6-week curriculum, a culturally relevant chapter book, a premade PowerPoint, and parent/student handouts.